If you had told Nicho Hynes just three years ago that he would be one of the NRL's best and most well-paid players by the end of 2023, he wouldn't have believed you.
But for the humble kid from Gosford who at one point must have thought an NRL debut would never come, that is exactly where he has landed this week.
Nicho Hynes has officially made himself a Shark until the end of 2029 - potentially to the end of his on-field career given he will be 33 years of age by the time this new deal expires.
It's an enormous show of faith by the Sharks, but one which has been as quickly deserved as it is well deserved for Hynes.
His career has been on an unbelievable upward trajectory in the last 36 months.
Making his NRL debut in 2019 at the age of 23 for the Melbourne Storm, he played just one game in his first season, and only another 11 the following season during the COVID-impacted year.
With limited opportunities thanks to the cancellation of second-tier competitions that year, every first-grade game was like gold for Hynes, who immediately impressed, but appeared to be forever stuck behind a first-choice spine at the Storm which at featured Ryan Papenhuyzen at the back, joined by Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes in the halves.
But everytime he was called into the side, whether it be as a bench impact player or replacing one of the main three, he held his own, and that continued in 2021 when Papenhuyzen missed a large chunk of the season.
The on-field performances of the talented utility saw him ultimately sounded out by a number of clubs, with his signature ultimately going to the Cronulla Sharks.
His talent might have been undeniable, but the questions remained.
Could he do it outside of Melbourne's system? Could he make himself a leading NRL halfback on a consistent basis? Could he control a team?
Well, just 12 months later, every single one of those boxes has been checked.
Hynes guided the Sharks to a staggering second-placed finish last season, mostly on his own, with the star involved in everything. He couldn't drag the Sharks past the semi-finals, but with rookie coach Craig Fitzgibbon also out of his first season at the helm, the club will only be better for the run as they tune up the band for another crack at glory in 2023.
The thing was, anyone who knew Hynes' back story understood he was destined for greatness - it was only a matter of time.
His time at the Storm all but made him the most unlucky junior in the NRL. You'd go as far as to say that at any other NRL club he would have not only debuted earlier, but excelled and cemented a place in first-grade.
Instead, he found himself labouring away each and every week it felt like, firstly for the Mackay Cutters, and then the Sunshine Coast Falcons as part of the Melbourne Storm system.
The Storm knew the talent they had, and when Hynes ultimately left the club, there were comments confirming they never, ever wanted to lose him.
Unfortunately for Melbourne, Hynes was behind Papenhuyzen, Munster and Hughes in the pecking order, and it didn't matter how good your performances were at reserve grade level, or when receiving opportunities in first-grade - the chance of knocking any of those three out of Craig Bellamy's best 17 was slim to none at best.
And so Hynes made the move to Cronulla where he has excelled from first step to the present.
He may not have featured in representative football, but he won the Dally M Medal in a landslide, with a record-breaking points tally, and most reckon he will be there in the number six, alongside Nathan Cleary in the New South Wales Blues' halves when Brad Fittler picks his team on Sunday, May 21 for State of Origin Game 1 this year.
But it hasn't been just on the field where Hynes has excelled.
He has fast had to become the face of the Sharks, and he has excelled there too. He is well-spoken, calm in the face of any media adversity, and represents the club as well as any player in the competition.
According to everything coming out of the Sharks, the way he carries himself at training and among his teammates despite his new-found popularity is a credit to himself.
The fans love him, and rightly so. There is little doubt the Sharks have become more popular as a brand since the signing of Hynes, and that upward trajectory will only continue the more times the halfback takes to the field and plays as he has done in the last 12 and a bit months for the club.
Hynes has been through the absolute ringer off the field in recent times, but it has never once impacted his on-field performance, or, for that matter, his off-field performance.
His focus to start 2023 was all about recovering from injury, but he tore the St George Illawarra Dragons in half during his first game back, with Dragons' fans ultimately walking out of Kogarah more than 20 minutes from fulltime, unable to bear the display Hynes was putting on.
Now at 26 years of age, Hynes will want to continue improving and to continue finding ways to take his teammates along for the ride with him.
In 12 months, he has done everything individually that he possibly could, but the club have now pinpointed him as the future and long-term face of the club.
By the time his deal expires, he will have played for eight seasons at the Sharks.
That, in truth, means the Sharks can now build around him, rather than the halfback needing to fit into the system.
Hynes and Fitzgibbon will undoubtedly have a hand in shaping what that looks like, but as Hynes prepares for further honours throughout this season, including that fabled Sky Blue jumper, the question of premiership success will linger in the back of his head.
That, in truth, will be the driving force for Hynes, who has also talked about wanting to go into coaching once his playing days are behind him.
That may be many, many years off, but the simple fact he is already thinking about his future, and how he can teach the next generation, goes to show the kind of person he is.
And why the future of the Sharks is now in incredibly good hands.
For now, though, he will continue to lead this club as they spring up the ladder and push for greatness.
Hynes is the leader of that.
